Alumnus Pitaro addresses SJU Law School grads
The ESPN Chairman (SJU Law Class of '94) shared life lessons that included sage advice from a very special person
Even before joining ESPN in 2018, Chairman Jimmy Pitaro’s life had already been shaped by sports.
In fact, football inadvertently set him on the path to becoming a lawyer.
After suffering a series of injuries as a freshman wide receiver at Cornell University in 1987, Pitaro began rethinking his future. Through the “Cornell in Washington” program, he developed an interest in government – and a professor’s offhand comment would change everything: “You know, you’d make a good lawyer.”
“That sentence changed my life,” Pitaro told the graduating class at St. John’s University School of Law on Sunday, May 18 in Queens, New York. “It sent me down a new, unexpected path—and that never would’ve happened without my failure on the football field.”
Pitaro, who received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree before delivering the address, spoke about the power of failure and the value of perseverance, preparation, diligence, and decency.
Catch some excerpts of his speech in the video above, including sage advice from a very special person.
Jon McLeod and Cecile CrossPlummer produced the video from footage St. John’s University supplied
